Man In Japan Launches Knife Attack On Schoolgirls Aged 6 To 12-Years-Old Before Dying

A man identified as Ryuichi Iwasaki, 51, attacked primarily Catholic school girls in Japan on Tuesday morning with a knife, before turning the knife on himself, resulting in his death.

The Kyodo news agency reports, according to The New York Post, that the tragedy unfolded as the girls, who were between the ages of six and 12, were waiting for a bus at approximately 7:45 a.m. to take them to school in Kawasaki, near Tokyo.

Police said that 11-year-old Hanako Kuribayashi and 39-year-old government employee Satoshi Oyama, the father of one of the students, were killed, according to the Associated Press. Additionally, 17 other people were reported injured.

During the attack, Iwasaki, who carried a knife in each hand, screamed "I will kill you," a witness told local newspaper Mainichi.

"I heard a scream so I stopped and turned around to see what happened. It was not a normal tone of voice," witness Yasuko Atsukata said. Atsukata added that she saw a number of children collapsing. "The color of their white shirts turned red after they collapsed, then I understood they got stabbed," she said.

The NY Post reports Iwasaki died at the scene while fleeing after stabbing himself in the neck. Two additional knives were found in the man's knapsack, the AP is reporting. His motive remains unclear.